Chapter 63: She Said They Weren't Close

Song Tingshen’s voice was utterly calm, his tone unchanged, his gaze as always fixed on Zhong Xiao.

Yet for no apparent reason, Zhong Xiao found herself growing nervous.

She supposed that he must have forgotten about their engagement, and besides, the situation between him and Hou Man was tangled and unresolved. It was best not to get involved.

So Zhong Xiao made up an excuse. “What could possibly be between us? I’ve only been on Taizhou Island for less than a week, and we’ve never had anything before.”

But the more she emphasized it, the more it felt like she was trying to cover something up.

Still, what she said was the truth.

Aside from that marriage contract, there was indeed nothing between them.

Yet when she looked up and met Song Tingshen’s shadowy gaze, her heart involuntarily skipped a beat.

Fortunately, he soon shifted his gaze away, speaking carelessly, “Why are you nervous?”

He continued, “You give me a certain feeling.”

Zhong Xiao asked, “What feeling?”

Song Tingshen glanced at her again, seemingly without intention. “A sense that you’re quite relieved I’ve lost my memory.”

Zhong Xiao was taken aback.

To be honest, when she first learned of Song Tingshen’s amnesia, there was indeed a fleeting sense of relief in her heart.

After all, she knew nothing about him at the time—not even what he looked like—and was about to marry a stranger. It would be a lie to say she wasn’t nervous.

So when she found out he had lost his memory, she did feel a weight lift from her shoulders.

However…

She had to admit to herself, based on his appearance and the personality she now knew, Song Tingshen was very much to her liking.

His looks went without saying.

Across both her past and present lives, Zhong Xiao had never seen a man more handsome than Song Tingshen.

A rugged face, sharp features, deep-set eyes, even his voice was appealing—low and magnetic.

And his physique was even more impressive.

As the long-serving commander of an armored regiment, he was all muscle, broad-shouldered and narrow-waisted; wearing a coat, he exuded an air that was simply striking.

So honestly, if marriage was in the cards, Zhong Xiao wouldn’t be averse.

But fate wasn’t so simple. Who could have foreseen Song Tingshen’s amnesia, and that he already had someone he cared for? For now, his memory loss had made him forget his feelings for Hou Manling.

But if he ever recalled them—

Wouldn’t she become a clown?

Having lived two lives, Zhong Xiao had no desire to get mixed up in any melodramatic love triangles.

All she wanted was a safe place to call her own, to guard the possessions in her space, and to live out her days in peace—that would be enough.

Thinking this, Zhong Xiao said to Song Tingshen, “Commander Song, you’re mistaken. There’s nothing for me to be relieved about. We’ve never been close, and we’ve never had any connection.”

She thought the topic would end there.

Unexpectedly, Song Tingshen pressed again, “Are you sure there’s no connection at all?”

Zhong Xiao forced herself to reply, “Yes, none.”

His gaze grew darker.

But just as Zhong Xiao looked up at him, Song Tingshen quickly turned his eyes away and looked elsewhere.

“Your commendation application and banner will be delivered within three days. Thank you for your contribution to the soldiers of the military district.”

With that, Song Tingshen nodded politely to Zhong Xiao in salute, and before she could respond, he turned and walked away.

Zhong Xiao watched his figure gradually disappear into the rain.

His broad form, clad in pure black, stood out starkly against the gray, rainy backdrop. Zhong Xiao gazed after him for a long time, finally sighing softly in her heart before turning back to her dormitory.

What she didn’t know—

The moment she stepped back into her dorm, the man in the rain stopped in his tracks. He stood there for a long while, then slowly turned, his dark eyes seeming to pierce the endless curtain of rain and settle on the spot where Zhong Xiao had just stood.

–

As soon as Zhong Xiao returned, she locked herself in her wardrobe and entered her space.

She was still immersed in the lingering melancholy after watching Song Tingshen walk away. She didn’t know why, but seeing his back stirred a faint sense of sorrow in her heart.

She hadn’t had time to dwell on it for long before the scene inside her space startled her.

The once empty area was now full of wobbling, chirping chicks and ducklings, and the piglets seemed to have grown overnight—just earlier, they’d been normal-sized, but now they looked noticeably bigger. After careful observation, Zhong Xiao suspected the sows were pregnant as well.

At this moment, the little creatures were devouring the vegetables and fruits she’d placed on the ground as if there was no tomorrow.

Almost nothing was left.

Zhong Xiao was dumbfounded.

Normally, eggs would take a while to hatch—how could it be that just this morning there were no chicks or ducklings, and after only a few hours, they were everywhere?

She hurriedly gathered the chicks and ducklings, grabbing some wooden sticks to make a makeshift fence.

But even so, it wasn’t enough.

The sows were about to give birth, and if the chickens and ducks kept multiplying, it would be a disaster. The crops she’d planted would all be ruined by these little creatures.

She couldn’t let that happen.

After thinking it over, Zhong Xiao decided to catch a few and stew them first.

The problem was—

She didn’t know how to slaughter animals.

Suddenly, she remembered that her space seemed to offer several options. While pondering, she walked to the spring, clicking here and there.

She really did manage to bring up a dialogue box.

There were options like [Space Functions], [Space Expansion], [Space Partition], and so on.

Except for the first function, she couldn’t access the others; it prompted her that her merit points were insufficient.

So Zhong Xiao had to search within [Space Functions].

Upon entering, she discovered a [One-Click Cooking] feature.

Overjoyed, she clicked it immediately.

[Your merit points are insufficient. Advanced features cannot be used yet.]

Zhong Xiao: “…”

In frustration, she exited the space, marched out of her dorm, and headed toward the command office.

She had to find Song Tingshen and get her commendation now!

Immediately!

Otherwise, all the fruits and vegetables in her space would be eaten up by that swarm of little creatures!